Getty ImagesThe Victorian era was full of contradictions—an age of scientific progress and industrial innovation, yet also a time when pseudoscience thrived. Health and wellness became cultural obsessions, and in the absence of reliable medical knowledge, people often turned to remedies and devices that did far more harm than good. From toxic tonics to questionable therapies, many health trends of the 19th century were not only bizarre—they were downright lethal. Here are some of the strangest Victorian health fads that actually killed people.
Arsenic for better skin
Pale, blemish-free skin was the Victorian beauty ideal, and arsenic became one of the go-to solutions. Arsenic wafers, tonics, and soaps were marketed to women who wanted to lighten their complexion and achieve that sought-after glow.
The problem? Arsenic is a poison. Prolonged use led to nausea, hair loss, organ failure, and death. Despite the known risks, products like Dr. James P. Campbell’s Safe Arsenic Complexion Wafers were sold well into the late 19th century, and their dangers were often downplayed in advertisements. As Atlas Obscura notes, these treatments were as fashionable as they were fatal.
Mercury-based treatments
Mercury was used to treat everything from syphilis to constipation. It was applied as an ointment, taken as a pill, or even vaporised for inhalation. Calomel, a mercury chloride compound, was one of the most common prescriptions of the day.
Patients treated with mercury often developed tremors, tooth loss, and cognitive decline—classic signs of mercury poisoning. Rather than improving health, these treatments often hastened a patient’s deterioration. Even as late as the 1860s, some doctors clung to mercury despite mounting evidence of its dangers.
Bloodletting and leech therapy
The belief that illness was caused by an imbalance of bodily humours persisted into the Victorian age. One popular solution? Bloodletting. Physicians used knives, cups, and leeches to draw blood in hopes of restoring balance.
Leeches were applied in hospitals and homes, often to treat anything from headaches to fevers. In some cases, patients lost so much blood they became anaemic or died from infection. Far from healing, these practices often weakened already sick individuals. The British Columbia Medical Journal explores the grim details of this outdated but once-respected treatment.
Radium and radioactive quackery
The discovery of radium in the late 19th century led to a wave of enthusiasm for all things radioactive. Products infused with radium promised to cure fatigue, arthritis, and even impotence. Radium water, radium toothpaste, and even radium suppositories were sold to eager consumers.
The most infamous case was that of industrialist Eben Byers, who drank several bottles of Radithor, a radium-laced tonic, daily until his jaw literally fell apart. He died of radiation poisoning in 1932. Though technically post-Victorian, this trend had its roots in late 19th-century enthusiasm for “radiant energy” and showcases the dangers of unchecked medical marketing.
Corsets and tightlacing
Though fashionable rather than strictly medicinal, corsets were often justified as health aids, claimed to improve posture or prevent fainting. Some doctors even prescribed them for “uterine support.”
However, tightlacing—drawing the corset strings so tightly that the waist could shrink dramatically—caused a host of problems. It restricted breathing, compressed organs, and led to fainting, indigestion, and even prolapsed organs. In extreme cases, autopsies revealed warped ribcages and damaged livers. As The Lancet once reported, these practices left long-term harm that far outweighed any supposed benefits.
Tobacco for asthma
Victorians believed that inhaling tobacco smoke could relieve asthma symptoms, leading to the development of asthma cigarettes—tobacco mixed with herbs like belladonna or stramonium. These were sold over the counter and even advertised in medical journals.
Unfortunately, these ingredients were either toxic or addictive—or both. Belladonna can cause hallucinations, convulsions, and heart issues. Far from offering relief, these cigarettes often exacerbated respiratory problems. Ironically, they contributed to the very condition they were meant to treat.
Electric belts and vibrating devices
As electricity captured the public imagination, it was marketed as a cure-all. One bizarre invention was the electric belt—a wearable device that delivered mild electric shocks, supposedly to stimulate vitality, treat nervous disorders, or enhance male potency.
These belts were rarely regulated and sometimes caused burns or nerve damage. Some vibrating chairs and electrodes were also used for mental health treatments, with no medical basis and little understanding of their effects. While not always deadly, they were certainly dangerous in the wrong hands.
The Victorian obsession with health met a deadly mix of poor science, bold marketing, and cultural pressure. Many treatments that promised vitality or beauty delivered the opposite. Today, they serve as a reminder of how far medical understanding has come—and how quickly things can go wrong when health trends are driven more by fashion and fads than evidence.
